Truck.



'PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

P. SANDS.

TRUCK. APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 12, 1906.

2 SHEET 6 PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TRUCK. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1906.

A. P. SANDS.

THE NORRIS PETERS :0 WASHINGTON, n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT FICIQ.

ALONZO P. SANDS, OF MARYVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT I-IRUBETZ, OF MARYVILLE, ILLINOIS.

TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 12, 1906. Serial No. 343,032.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALoNzo P. SANDS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Maryville, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks for Lowering Props into Mines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accom anying drawings, forming part of this speci cation.

My invention relates to trucks for lowering wall-sup orting props into the shafts of mines, the evice, briefly stated, comprising a truck, tiltable centrally-fulcrumed tables, each having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and supported by said truck, and means for moving said tables,with their load, from a horizontal position to an approximately upright position, and vice versa, whereby the props may first be laid upon said tables while they are horizontally disposed and the tables be then moved into approximately upright position, with the props secured thereto, in order that the entire truck and props may be readily lowered into the mine-shaft, even though the props are of greater length than the width or length of the mine-shaft.

Figure I is a top or plan view of my proplowering truck. Fig. I is a cross-section taken on line I I, Fig. I. Fig. II is a side elevation of the prop lowering truck in loaded condition. Fig. III is a longitudinal section taken through the truck in loaded condition. Fig. IV is a similar view to Fig. III, showing the parts in the positions assumed when the tiltable tables are disposed horizontally to receive the props or permit of their removal from the tables.

The truck proper preferably consists of a main truck-section 1, having track-wheels 2, and an auxiliary truck-section 3, having track-wheels 4. The' main truck-section is preferably provided with four track-wheels and the auxiliary section with two trackwheels. The object in making the truck in two sections is to provide for the truck moving with readiness around curves, and to permit this the sections are pivotally connected by a king-bolt 5.

6 designates a pair of normally horizontal tiltable tables that are centrally supported by rock-shafts 7, having spindles journaled in boxes 8, mounted upon the framework of the truck-sections 1 and 3. The tiltable tables are mounted in opposition to each other, and each table is provided at its inner end with a transverse ledge 9, against which the props A, laid horizontally on the tables, are adapted to rest when the tables are moved from a horizontal position to an approximately upright position. At the side of each. table are stake-pockets 10, that receive stakes 11, which serve to restrain'the y from lateral movement on the tables. Each table has attached to it a chain 12 orQother means of fastening that is adapted to be passed around the props to hold them securely to the table.

13 and 14 designate, respectively, upper and lower drums that are journaled to the truck, preferably the main section 1 thereof.

15 and 16 are operating-ropes, each of which is attached at one of its ends to the upper drum 13 and has its other end attached to the lower drum 14. The end of each rope is passed around the upper and lower drums oppositely to the end of the other rope, so that when the drums are rotated each rope will be wrapped thereon to exert a similar pulling action with respect to each rope.

Y For instance, the rope 15 passes beneath the upper drum and over the lower drum, while the rope 16 passes over the upper drum and beneath the lower drum. The operatingrope 15 is attached at 17 to the inner or lower end of one of the tiltable tables 6, and the operating-rope 16 is attached at 17 to the inner or lower end of the other tiltable table. From the point 17 each operatingrope passes around an idler 18, that is supported by the truck-1l 6., the sections thereof. By this construction I provide for the exertion of a pull upon the portion of each rope that is wrapped around the lower drum 14 when said drum is rotated, due to the connection of the rope to the tiltable table, as a consequence of which the tiltable table corresponding to said rope is drawn downwardly from a horizontal position previously assumed to an approximately upright position. While-this action is taking place the upper drum rotates and the portion of the ropes Wrapped therearound are paid ofl to permit the movement of the tables. To the contrary, when the tiltable tables are to be moved from an approximately upright position to a horizontal position the ropes are props wrapped upon the upper drum and paid off from the lower drum, during which action the portions of the ropes that are attached to the upper drum act as the pulling portions.

For the purpose of providing means for the positive rotation of the drums 13 and 14 I utilize the following mechanism: 13 is a spur-wheel fixed to the shaft of the drum 13, and 14 is a spur-wheel fixed to the shaft of the drum 14. 19 is a master-wheel that is arranged. in mesh with both of the spurwheels just mentioned and is provided with a bevel-gear face 20. 21. is a main operatingshaft mounted in suitable bearings and having fixed thereto a bevel-pinion 22, that is arranged in mesh with the bevel-gear face of the master-wheel and through the medium of which said wheel is rotated to cause it to in turn impart rotation to the drums through. the medium of the spur-wheels 13 and 14. The main operating-shaft 21 is of tubular form, and telescopically positioned Within said shaft is an extension-shaft 21, that is slidably and non-rotatably held to said shaft by a pin or spline 21, that is preferably car ried by the main shaft and operates'in a groove in the extension-shaft. The pin or spline may, however, be seated in the extension-shaft and operate in a slot in the main shaft. The operating-shaft is designed to be rotated by a crank 23, that is applied to the shaft with its handle extending outwardly, as indicated by dotted lines, Fig. II, when it is to be used, but which is removed and disposed with its handle extending in wardly alongside of the adjacent truck-section when the truck is to be lowered into the mine-shaft in order that the handle of the crank may not protrude to engage the wall of the shaft while the truck is being lowered. The object in making the operating-shaft extensible is to provide for the projection of the shaft to a distance beyond the end of the truck in order that the shaft'may be operated by a workman while standing away from the end of the truck. This is important in that when the truck is positioned upon a mine-hoist previous to the moving of the tilting tables into upright positions and the lowering of the hoist and truck in the mine-shaft, there is liability of the workman slipping into the shaft if he stands too close thereto. There frequently exist recesses at the tops of mine-shafts and in their walls that would render the risk to the workmen much greater than ordinarily, and consequently it is highly desirable that the operating-shaft be such that its crankreceiving arm may be shifted to project past the wall of the shaft beneath the end of the truck at which the shaft is located. 24 designates a detent mounted upon the truck adjacent to the master-wheel 19 and adapted to be thrown into engagement with the peripheral teeth of said wheel to hold it from movement after the tiltable-table-operating mechanism has been operated to place the tables in either horizontal positions or upright positions.

When in the use of my truck it is desired to load the props thereon, the truck is transferred on the surface track to the location of the props that are to be loaded, and the table-operating mechanism is operated to move the tables into horizontal positions, and the detent'24 is thrown into engagement with the master-wheel 19. The props are then laid upon the tables and strapped thereto, and the truck is transferred to the mine-shaft and loaded onto the usual hoist to be lowered into the mine. Previous, how'- ever, to the lowering of the truck the tableoperating mechanism is again operated to cause the tables, with their load, to be moved into an approximately upright position, so that the props will readily descend in the shaft without striking its walls.

While I have described my truck as of utility only in lowering props into mines, it is obvious that the truck might be used as a conveyer in other pla-ces such', for instance, as in buildings to carry merchandiseand I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the use of the invention for the conveyance of any particular description of articles.

I claim 1. The combination of a truck, a tiltable centrally-fulcrumed table having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, and means for tilting said table with its load into an approximately upright position, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a truck, a pair of tiltable centrally-fulcrumed tables each having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, and means for tilting said tables into an approximate upright position, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a truck, a pair of tiltable centrally-fulcrumed tables each having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, and operating means for simultaneously tilting said tables into an approximately upright position, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a truck, a tiltable centrally-fulcrumed ,table having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, an operating-rope having connection with said table, and means by which said rope is operated to impart tilting movement to said table, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a truck, a tiltable centrally-fulcrumed table having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, a pair of drums, means for rotating said drums, and

flexible means of connection between said drums and said table, whereby said table is tilted when said drums are rotated, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of a truck, a tiltable centrally-fulcrumed table having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, a pair of drums, means for rotating said drums, and an operating-rope connected to said table and having connection with said drums whereby said table is tilted when said drums are rotated, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a truck, a pair of tiltable centrally-fulcrumed tables each having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, a pair of drums, means for rotating said drums, and flexible connections be tween said tables and drums through the medium of which said tables are tilted simultaneously when said drums are rotated, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination of a truck, a pair of tiltable centrally-fulcrumed tables each having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, operating-ropes connected to said tables, idlers on which said ropes operate, a pair of drums to which said ropes are connected, and means for operating said drums, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of a truck, a tiltable centrally-fulcrumed table having a transverse supporting and retaining ledge at its inner end and carried by said truck, and means for tilting said table into an approximately upright position, said table-tilting means including an extensible shaft carried by said truck, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination of a truck, a tilting table centrally fulcrumed in horizontal position on the truck, means for tilting the table to an approximately upright position, and means for supporting and retaining the load when the table is in either a horizontal or an approximately upright position.

ALONZO P. SANDS.

In presence of NELLIE V. ALEXANDER, BLANOHE HOGAN. 

